Playing With Fire
by Ellie13x
Summary: Loki gave an irritated sigh. "You are not normal. You will never be normal. You will always stand out amongst these..." He trailed off, his disgust showing plainly on his face. "Humans. You can either accept that and use it to your advantage, or you can try to fight it and waste your gift." Loki/OC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Loki, the Avengers, etc belong to their owners. I make nothing on this.**

**Prologue**

The little girl doesn't know what she has done.

Her mother is always sad. The Man who calls himself her father is always angry and hurting her.

But real fathers don't hurt their daughters, right? Real daddies give hugs, make Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes on Sundays, and read stories at bedtime. That's how she knows he's not her father or Daddy, no matter what he or Mommy says.

Mommy is nice. She cries often and doesn't play with her. She says she's too tired. The girl thinks that it's the candy that the man puts in her Mommy's drink that makes her so tired. If she didn't have to drink the candy, then maybe she would be happy to play with her.

The Man that calls himself Daddy is always in the basement, bringing up new tubes with stingers to hurt her. Mommy said it will make her healthy, make her live for a long time. Mommy said it will help a lot of people.

The little girl doesn't care about a lot of people. She just wants her Mommy to get better and the Man to keep the needles away. The bruises up and down her arm hurt and now she has them on her feet. The ink-jections, she thinks that's what the Man calls them, hurt more and more every time.

When the little girl goes to bed that night, she is worried. Mommy is crying more than usual and the Man has been yelling from the basement. When her Mommy puts her to bed, her body shakes and she's crying. She gives the girl a kiss on the forehead and tells her she loves her before shutting the door behind her. The lock slides into place.

* * *

A loud sound wakes her up, scaring her. The dark blankets everything and her nightlight is burnt out. She cries out for her mother but doesn't hear anything in return.

The girl tries to lay down but feels her sheets are wet. She's afraid to anger the Man so she grabs her blanket and moves over to the large window cushion. She curls up and goes back to sleep.

* * *

She awakes again with someone carrying her. Her eyes open and she is startled by what she sees.

A new man is carrying her. His skin is darker than her Mommy's or the Man's and he has a thing over one of his eyes. The girl wonders if it's because his eyes aren't the same, like hers are. She's never met anyone else with eyes like hers. Should she wear something over one of her eyes, too?

The man notices she's awake and gives her a small smile. He asks her if she knows her name, his voice **much** nicer than the Man's is. She hears other people but she ignores them.

She answers. Her name is Estelle. She tells him her Mommy said that it meant Star. She asks him if he knows her Mommy.

The man shook his head and told her no. He carries her to a black car and climbs in with her still in his arms. She asks if her Mommy is coming too.

He tells her no, that her Mommy is sleeping now and asked him to take care of her for awhile. He says his name is Nick.

Estelle smiles at him and curls up on him, still wrapped in her blanket. If her Mommy liked this man, than so did she.

* * *

**A/N: Welcome to my newest foray into fanfiction, my first Avengers piece. I have no clue how big or long this is gonna be, I'm kind of making it up as I go along. Dal Niente is kind of on a stand still despite me knowing exactly how I want it to end up and I needed to kick this plot bunny out.**

**So here it is.**

**The prologue is extremely short but so far, the rest of the chapters are a decent length. I hope you like it!**


	2. 01

**01**

"Agent Phoenix, reporting." The microphone/speaker combo in my left ear was tiny, but I knew they could hear me back at HQ. Stark technology at it's finest. I stepped out of the shiny black Lincoln that SHIELD had been kind enough to lend me for the evening, winking at the driver when he closed the door behind me.

"What is your status, Phoenix?" Ah, Coulson.

"Wow, Phil, what did you do to garner this punishment?" I smoothed down the wrinkles in my purple A-line dress. Looking around at the real patrons, I was kind of under-dressed. My bodice had some beading but that was as far as decoration went. Whatever. After sending me here to Germany for three weeks on a wild goose chase, Dad was lucky that I even felt like curling my hair.

Phil Coulson sighed impatiently, the sound resonating in my ear. "Phoenix."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm walking in now, I'll report back when I find him."

"Do so quickly. Your father is getting anxious."

I would have groaned if I hadn't been at the door, with the doorman giving me a curious look, his eyes focusing on mine. Of course, if they didn't notice the boobs first, it was the eyes. Really, I couldn't help I was born with a green eye and a gray eye. Idiot. Despite this, I smiled brilliantly. "Sally Sparks, with the HAA." Sally Sparks, what kind of name was Sally fucking Sparks? And what is the HAA? If I had lost my concentration, I would have cringed. It had to have been Agent Hill's idea.

The doorman checked his list and apparently didn't see anything worth his attention, as he waved me through. At least Maria Hill's strange cover had worked.

I made my way through the line of the well dressed men and women being herded into the room like cattle before breaking away from the crowd. The place was gorgeous, I'll admit. Marble everywhere with gold accents, columns, stained glass. I frowned, it was just my luck. I would have loved to explore the museum a bit more, but duty called.

My mismatched eyes moved from my surroundings to the crowd, looking for my target. The showing was already in full swing, people milled around the exhibits, gossiping and congratulating each other. It was going to be hard to pick the man out, even with my training. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and spoke lowly, just so the speaker would pick it up. "Coulson, I need some assistance here."

I just wanted to get the Hell out of here, out of these shoes and heels, and back where I belong. This is why I hate fieldwork.

The tiny bug in my ear crackled to life. "Phoenix, we have a bit of an issue right now."

"What issue?" I looked around interestedly. Everything seemed alright here.

"There's a hostile on premises. Be alert, Phoenix. We're sending backup."

I stopped then, my heels making an audible clack on the marble and put my finger to my ear. "Phil, what are you talking about? What hostile?"

A shriek to my right made me jump and put my senses on high alert. "Phoenix, what was that?" More screams followed the first and people started to panic, pushing to get back outside. I frowned and pushed my way through, coming to the middle of the room.

"Son of a bitch!" My target, Professor Heinrich Schafer, was sprawled out on the pedestal in the middle of the room, held down by another man. His body clashed with the smart suit he was wearing as it twitched and jerked violently, the smell of urine heavy in the air. The attacker had forced a silver device into his eye socket.

"Estelle! What is going on?" I swallowed and finally tore my eyes from my now limp target, bringing them to the hostile's face. My heart skipped a beat when my eyes met green ones.

I backed up as the man straightened, drawing my eyes to his height alone. He had at least ten inches on me and his sharp suit accentuated how thin he was. His thin mouth curled into a smirk as his green eyes took me in. "I'm sorry, little mortal, did you have business with my friend here?"

My throat was thick and I swallowed again, willing my voice not to crack. "Stay right there! Don't move!" Yet I backed up as he stepped towards me, his long black hair swaying lightly.

The man chuckled, his voice rich. "You humans are so arrogant. Who are you to speak to a God?" He raised his right hand, bringing his weapon to my eyes.

It was a long bronze sceptre of sorts that ended with three sharp silver blades that cradled a glowing cerulean gem. To a normal human, it would look lethal.

I took a deep breath. No matter how this ended, I knew I was going to hurt tomorrow. Steeling myself, I raised my eyes back to his admittedly handsome face and gave him a little smirk of my own. "Sorry, I don't believe in magic. Now, back up!"

A ghost of rage clouded his face and before I could even register what happened, I was flat on my back. The man's boot- hadn't he been wearing dress shoes?- was on my stomach and the end of his weapon imbedded deep in my chest. I gasped for a breath and gagged on blood that flowed into my mouth, bringing my hands to push against the metal imbedded inside me. He pushed in harder and I coughed, he had pierced my heart. I struggled against screaming, I refused to give him the satisfaction. Fuck, it was really going to hurt tomorrow.

My nerve endings were on fire as he pushed one last time before pulling the blades out of my body, sighing in the process. "My dear, I do believe you have made me late." With a shake of his head he walked past me and out of my line of sight.

When I had made sure he was gone, I rolled onto my side and spit the blood out of my mouth. I could already feel my muscles and tendons knitting themselves back together and my heart, after a few flutters, started pumping normally again. I climbed onto my hands and knees and coughed experimentally, nodding to myself when my lungs expanded easily. Other than a few little sore spots, I seemed to be fine.

I pushed myself to my feet and looked down, cringing. My skin had already knitted itself back together, but the tears in my dress were irreparable. The once-sweetheart neckline now showed a lot more cleavage than I was personally comfortable with. I rolled my eyes. Men were all the same, wannabe gods or not.

"Phoenix!" My speaker cracked back to life with a spark, making me wince. This was a different voice though, one that I knew all to well. "What are you doing? Your life signs are across the chart."

"Hello to you to, Dad." I pushed my strawberry-blonde curls behind my ears and blew out a breath.

My father was not happy, I could basically hear his blood pressure going up through his voice. "Phoenix..."

"I'm fine, Director Fury." My voice had the clipped, businesslike tone he normally took with me. "I stalled the hostile for you. You owe me a new dress."

"Of course I do. Stark and Rogers are outside, go meet them."

I pulled up my dress from where it was slipping and turned to look at Heinrich Schafer, who appeared to be deceased. "Er, what do I do about my target? He's dead. I think."

Dad sighed and and I could just imagine him running his hand over his scalp. "I'll send someone to clean the mess up, just get outside." The bug sparked again and I pulled it out of my ear, glaring at it. So much for durability.

I hiked up the bodice of my dress again and pushed open the large double doors and stalked outside. It was still chaos, people running everywhere. In the large open courtyard stood Captain America and Ironman or, as I knew them, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. In between them was the newest man who tried to kill me.

I jogged over to them and grinned a little when Stark retracted his face plate and whistled low before yelling over to me. "I would have come with you if I knew you were going to dress like that."

"Shut up, Stark." Rogers gave him a slight glare as I finally made it over to them, clutching my chest. It was still sore. "Are you alright, Phoenix?"

I took another deep breath, expanding my lungs, and exhaled slowly before nodding. "I'm alright. He punctured my heart so I'll be sore for a few days." I cast a glance at the man handcuffed at their feet, not surprised to find him staring at me. "How's our new friend here?"

"You're still alive." He wasn't so arrogant now.

I cracked a grin. "Sorry to disappoint." I then noticed my dress was starting to slip so I pulled it back up again and cast a glance over at the helicopter. "So, shall we go? I'm in desperate need of a jacket or something." I pulled my dress up again for emphasis.

Both Rogers and Stark had noticed my problem albeit for completely different reasons. The captive had chosen to ignore me completely but cast another glance at me when Rogers hauled him to his feet. A curious look passed so quickly over his features that I almost thought I imagined it. Great, so now I interest the deity-wannabe.

I walked ahead of the men and into the loading bay of the copter. A redheaded woman in a catsuit met me there, throwing a generic black SHIELD hoodie at me.

"Thanks, Natasha." I grinned at her and she just shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. I zipped it up and sat down in one of the seats lining the side, sighing. I prodded my chest through the fabric, wincing here and there.

"You should have Banner or one of the other doctor's check you out, Phoenix." I looked up to see Rogers pushing the man down in the seat across from mine.

I shrugged and folded my arms, leaning back into the seat. "I'm okay, I've had worse."

"Your heart was punctured." Roger's voice was incredulous and he pushed back the hood on his armor. "How could you have possibly had worse?"

I just smiled. "Believe me. I've had worse."

With that, we lapsed into silence as the pilot did the normal flight checks before taking off, the helicopter jerking as it left the ground. I started at the blood stains on my dress and tried to ignore the green eyes that were burning into my face.

It took five minutes before I lost my concentration and finally looked up. As I expected, my would-be murderer was staring straight at me, completely unabashed. I was going to roll my eyes before I realized he had, somehow, managed to change his clothes. He was wearing pretty much all leather now, black with green and gold accents. A trench coat type garment with a high collar and a belted sash that extended from one armored shoulder to his long tunic underneath. The tunic seemed to have a chest plate with a gold band engraved. Black leather pants ended in the boots I had noticed earlier. His arms were covered to his wrists that also featured gauntlets.

This man was out of his mind, there was no doubt now.

He seemed to notice my silent appraisal of him because he smirked again, this time showing straight white teeth. "Like what you see, mortal?"

I gave him a simpering smile. "I was actually wondering what cosplay convention you escaped from."

To my left, Stark snorted and I saw Rogers give me a questioning look. Poor guy had no clue about pop culture.

The man in front of me didn't seem to know what I was talking about either, he simply raised a thin brow in my direction. His staring was starting to get to me though. His gaze never wavered from me. I took a deep breath and let it out. "What exactly are you staring at?" He just continued staring. I rolled my eyes. "Do you have a name?"

"Loki." The sound of his voice almost made me jump out of my skin. Loki. The Norse god of Mischief and Lies. Interesting. "It is considered polite to answer with your own name."

I narrowed my eyes into a glare and leaned forward. "It's also not polite to stab someone upon your first meeting."

"Ah." Loki smiled at me, the grin a little feral. "That was merely business."

"Phoenix." I cast a glance at Rogers, raising an eyebrow. "Don't."

Rolling my eyes, I leaned back again. Rogers and Stark were a direct line back to my father, thus a direct line to my paycheck. I sigh and cross my arms again. Now I'm bored.

"Estelle." I stilled completely, my heart suddenly skipping a beat. I felt like I had been doused in cold water. The way he said my name was like a warm caress, his accent kissing the syllables lightly. My eyes shot to Loki, finding him leaning forward, only feet from me. "Estelle Fury. Such a... unique name, though that's not your birth surname is it?"

I was vaguely aware that both Stark and Rogers were standing next to me as my heart still hammered away in my chest. I opened my mouth to speak when a monstrous boom of thunder cut me off and broke through my thoughts. I leaned forward to look out the windshield.

"There's a storm up ahead." Natasha turned around from her seat beside the pilot. "It doesn't look pretty."

"What's the matter, scared of a little lightening?" I turn to look at the millionaire as he watched Loki, who had gotten tense very quickly.

Loki cast a glance around the helicopter warily. "I'm not overly fond of what follows..."

I shot Tony a curious look right before the entire copter shook and it was all I could do not to scream.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter one! I'm always really bad at first chapters, but if I'll end up rewriting it over and over and over again if I let myself.**

**I hope you like it!**


	3. 02

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Loki, the Avengers, etc belong to their owners. I make nothing on this.**

**02**

There was almost no noise as I followed Rogers, Stark, and Natasha through the halls. Even the deity was quiet, along with his colossal, and very blonde, friend. The two, who Stark had informed me were brothers, were completely opposites.

Thor, the apparent god of thunder, was so tall he had to duck under most doorways on the helipad. He was literally just a big mass of muscle from what I could tell. Despite the fact that the man could probably dismember me with his pinkie, he seemed to be the nicer of the two. His face was very open and he almost seemed to wear his heart on his chain mail-ish sleeve. Until dis-proven, Thor seemed to be the living embodiment of light itself.

And if Blondie was light, than Loki was darkness. Not just the normal darkness, either. He was the inky black type that made your heart pound and made your fight or flight instinct go into hyper drive. He hadn't said much since his brother had drug him back onto the helicopter, but he kept his eyes on me. I ignored him easily enough, even though it felt like his stare was drilling holes into my forehead. As we made our way through the halls of the Helicarrier, I noticed that his gate was... off. He wasn't walking like a prisoner, rather someone that was interested in owning the place.

It felt good to be home. Despite the coldness of the metal the enclosed us, it was comforting to me. Maybe if I had grown up in a normal family rather than being shuttled around back and forth from the different SHIELD bases, I would feel different. This metal monstrosity was home. I didn't jump at every clang and groan from the steel like many of the newbies. I knew every passage, every storeroom. Though the only part of it I wanted to see right now was my tiny apartment, with it's basic amenities and horribly bland gray walls.

An armed squadron met us before we got too far in. They nodded at Tony and Steve before removing Loki from our presence, much to my relief. I almost sighed as they led him around a corner and I was already making my plans of escape to my shower before I was rudely interrupted.

"Agent Phoenix." My head shot up and I couldn't hold back the groan at seeing my father's right hand, er, _woman_. Agent Maria Hill. Clad in her ever-present navy blue SHIELD jumpsuit and her dark hair tied back in a no-nonsense bun, the look Agent Hill was giving me was enough to make me want to go back to Germany. Possibly for good. "Director Fury wants to meet you in the Cage."

"Couldn't it wait until she changed?" I almost jumped at Steve's voice and I gave him a grateful look. Unlike Tony, who had spent the better part of the ride back to base cracking joke about my ruined attire, Steve was ever helpful. Really, who said chivalry was dead? It was just... frozen. I guess.

Hill's face was all no-nonsense and it was plain as day that a shower was not in my near future. "Immediately, Agent Phoenix."

I nodded and pushed my now unruly curls out of my face before stalking past her towards the elevators. I didn't even bother to look back as I pulled my ID card out of my hoodie pocket and waved it under the scanner, stepping inside when the doors opened.

The Cage, as Agent Hill had so aptly called it, was literally just that. A huge glass and steel chamber with nothing but a bench-slash-bed inside. It was held from above by huge steel clamps and below, there was a hatch just ready to open and let The Cage (and whatever inhabited it) fall to it's death.

From what I understand, it was built to house one of the so-called Avenger's that my father was interested in, in case he got "out of hand". Apparently what out of hand meant for him, meant total destruction for us.

"And you kill 'cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate." As soon as I opened the door to the huge room, I heard my father's voice. His normally even voice had a edge to it that I knew personally spelled punishment. I walked in, careful to close the door quietly behind me and glanced down from the upper catwalk. "You might not be glad that you did."

Director Nicholas Fury was standing in front of the chamber, next to the control panel. I could tell by the rigidness in his stance that he was very much on edge. The dark skin of his bald scalp shined in the fluorescent lighting and his black trench made his presence very imposing. I'm sure the the glare he was giving the god in the cage, coupled with his eye patch, wasn't detracting from the overall effect.

"Ooh." I couldn't see the psycho from where I was standing but I could tell by the taunting tone to his voice that he might as well be sticking his tongue out. His accented words flowed easily, each word enunciated perfectly. He certainly spoke like a royal, though a very arrogant one. "It burns you, doesn't it? To have the Tesseract, to have unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share? And then to be reminded what real power is."

My eyes narrowed and I moved to walk down the steps, making my presence known to at least one of the men. My father's brown eyes sought out mine and I quirked one side of my lips into a half smile before I stopped next to him. "You called?"

I knew instantly that Loki's eyes were on me and the Director seemed to notice, too. A muscle in his cheek clenched and, if you didn't spend as many years with the man as I did, you would have missed it. He composed himself quickly, his poker face firmly in place. "Yes, Agent Phoenix. I assume you already know our new... guest."

That was my cue to turn to Loki, but all I did was glance at him, raising an eyebrow. "Yes."

"I brought Agent Phoenix here so you can meet your new Warden. I figured since you were so kind as to murder her on your first meeting, she would be glad to take you under her wing." I blinked and bit my tongue to deaden any further response. Concentrate, Estelle. Father turned to go, motioning me to follow. "So, let us know if real power wants a magazine or somethin'."

He made his way down the stairs and before I followed, I hazarded a glance at the man in the cage. His face was the same cool mask as before, but his green eyes were burning in the bright lighting.

What the hell did Dad just get me into?

I caught up to him quickly in the hallway, matching his quick pace with my own. "Was that absolutely necessary?"

"Yes. After we debrief I want you in the med lab getting checked out, is that clear?" At that I stopped dead in the hallway, glaring halfheartedly at his back. We were only a few steps away from the elevator but I was tired and I felt like this ridiculous ruined dress weighed about ten pounds. It was times like this that I wished less for Director Fury, and more for my father.

"It's nice to see you, too, Dad." He stopped a few paces ahead of me and gave a sigh. Dad turned and made short work of the steps in between us before pulling me into his arms.

I smiled sadly and returned the hug. I knew that affection wasn't part of Nicholas Fury but I was glad for this small token. "Welcome home, Estelle. Are you alright?"

I nodded into his chest and yawned. "Tired. And still bloody. You sure I can't go sleep for a week first?"

"Sorry." I received a pat on my back for the trouble and I frowned when Dad pulled away. "Debriefing first, you know the rules."

I trailed behind him to the elevator and stepped in behind him. "Fine. But I'm getting changed. Now. And if I pass out in the shower later, it's on you."

"Estelle..."

* * *

"Doctor Banner is only here to track the cube." I followed my father into the control room, glancing around. I felt marginally better since I was able to change out of the disgusting dress and into the standard SHIELD black pants and black shirt. I was able to wash most of the blood off but what I couldn't get would have to wait until I was allowed to shower.

We walked over to a table on the platform, where Steve and Natasha were sitting. Thor was standing in front, arms crossed and looking severely out of place even in his less formal... outfit. A man I hadn't seen before was standing behind the table next to Tony. Doctor Banner, maybe? I tied my hair back as Dad stopped in front of the table and addressed Tony. "I was hoping you might join him."

Steve leaned back in his chair, still in his Captain America armor. "Let's start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon."

Wait. "Hydra. Like the Nazi-Occult group?" Every head turned to me and I glared at the looks I was receiving, particularly from the billionaire. "What? So I paid attention in History class."

"I don't know about that." Director Fury broke in before it could get ugly. "But it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

I giggled lightly and Thor shifted on his feet, looking confused. "Monkeys? I do not understand."

"I do!" Steve pointed the hand he had been resting his head on, a small smile on his face. I bit my lip to try and keep in the laughter as Tony rolled his eyes and Steve sank back into his seat a little, still looking proud. "I understood that reference."

"Should we go, Doctor?" Tony motioned to the other man but before they could turn, Director Fury was upon them, dragging me with them.

"Mr. Banner, this is Estelle. My daughter." A look of recognition lit up the dark haired man's face and he turned his curious gaze on me. "We talked about you taking over her case and I wondered if you had decided."

My case? What? I glanced between the two of them and saw Tony listening in not-so-subtly. I rolled my eyes. What happened to Doctor Liam?

The new man nodded again. "Sure, I will."

"You should check her out while you're at it." I felt my face heat up at Steve's 1950s way of speaking when Tony started snickering. Banner rubbed the bridge of his nose and I turned around, shooting a glare at Captain America. Steve finally seemed to understand because he shook his head and waved his hand. "Not like that! She was stabbed in the chest!"

With that, Bruce Banner's curious eyes were on me, scanning me for signs of injury. I'm sure if they had discussed my case, than Director Fury had told him of my "condition". But it still seemed to shock the newcomers. I waved them all off. "I told you, I'm fine. I've had worse."

"You should still be looked at, Phoenix. To make sure you healed correctly."

"Wait." Now Thor was butting into the conversation, his eyes also on me. "Who stabbed you? Why is there no injury?"

"You're psycho brother stabbed her." Tony answered for me, raising an eyebrow at the blonde's answering growl. "Our dear Phoenix here has a very fast healing rate." Was that a compliment? Tony turned his eyes back to me. "I still liked the dress better, if you know what I mean." Ah, there was the Tony I was acquainted with.

I heaved a sigh and shrugged. "I'm going to the med lab. Someone will be there."

* * *

Laying in the med lab was peaceful. It was almost always quiet, only the beeps of the different machines breaking the easy silence. The cots, however, were not very comfortable. It was stiff and the sheets starchy but I could deal.

There wasn't anyone here when I came in so I just laid in wait. I pressed on the spot in between my chest, feeling the spot where the blades has pierced my flesh. It was still sore to a point, but it wasn't anything that I couldn't handle.

I was broken from my thoughts by a crash the door. I shot up, instantly going on alert. Despite knowing that I was probably in the safest place on this planet, I couldn't stop the survival instincts. I stood and peaked around the divider, my brow furrowing.

There was no one there. What the hell? I crept forward, glancing at the mug that was shattered on the metal flooring. How did that happen? I mean, it's not like there was a breeze here or anything.

I was on such high alert that I about jumped out of my skin when the door opened. A familiar head popped in and my heart stilled. "Jesus, Charlie!"

The brunette raised an eyebrow at me before walking into the med lab. "What are you doing, Stella?"

Charlie Stark had been one of my only friends pretty much my entire life. The child of the infamous Tony Stark and a SHIELD agent, she was like me, moved from base to base until her mother died. She was my only companion until then. She was working with Steve Rogers to get him better acclimated to this era and I was happy to have her back on the Helipad.

I shook my head and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "I was laying down and next thing I know, boom. The coffee mug is on the floor and there was no breeze or anything, so I'm trying to figure out what the fuck happened and then you come in and scare the hell out of me."

Charlie's brown eyes flitted to the floor and back to me and she gave me a weird look. "What mug?"

"What do you mean what mu-" I glanced to the floor where the shattered ceramic was. _What the fucking hell?_ I felt myself go pale.

The floor was clean. Not even a hint of the white shards remained. And, to make it all _that much worse, _upon further inspection, the mug was sitting back on the desk, in one piece.

I felt Charlie's hand on my back and I jerked a little, inwardly scolding myself. "Are you sure you're okay? Should I call someone?"

I took a deep breath. Before I could answer, the door opened again and Bruce Banner walked in, stopping at the sight of me, probably pale as a sheet, and Charlie making sure I didn't keel over. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't think she's feeling that well, sir." Charlie answered for me. My mouth felt thick, like I had eaten a gob of peanut butter and couldn't swallow. I couldn't tear my thought away from that stupid fucking mug.

I'm going crazy.

I felt another pair of hands on my back and Charlie and Banner led me to the same cot I had been on. "What's going on, Estelle?"

I shook my head, as much to clear my thoughts as to communicate. "I'm fine. Really. It's just been a really, really long couple of weeks. I need sleep."

The dark haired man nodded, almost thoughtfully, and he opened up a chart that I recognized. He glanced through it for a couple seconds before seeming to decide something. He turned to Charlie and glanced over her. "Miss.."

"Stark, sir."

Surprise flashed across the doctor's face before he nodded. "Miss.. Stark. Could you go get Miss Fury something to eat while I look her over? Please?"

Charlie nodded and threw me a glance. "I'll be right back." She walked out the door, her hair swaying behind her.

Banner pulled a chair over and sat across from me, his kind eyes never leaving mine. "Stark, huh?"

I laughed, a little weakly. "What's wrong, couldn't see the family resemblance?"

"Well, you're the Director's daughter, so.."

"Adopted." I twisted my hands together. "I'm sure that Director Fury mentioned my biological family."

"Actually." Banner flipped through my folder again, stopping at a middle page. "He didn't. The police report is here, but that's a little vague at best."

I sighed and decided to just give him the short version. "My biological mother was a pill head who let my biological father preform experiments on her when she was pregnant and, after I was born, he continued them on me. Apparently he was trying to play God. He wanted to lengthen the Human life span." I paused and took a deep breath, noting the way Banner watched me like a hawk. "I fell and broke my ankle when I was three. It healed in a few minutes. However, that didn't seem to be enough for my father because that night he came in and put a bullet through my skull before killing my mother and then himself."

Judging by the way the doctor rubbed his neck, that hadn't been in the police reports. "And yet you're still alive."

I nodded. "Apparently so. The police didn't even know I had been shot. Apparently when the bastard shot my mother I woke up and I went to sleep in my window seat. If it weren't for the bullet and the blood on my pillow, we probably never would have known what happened."

I noticed his hazel eyes focused on my forehead so I moved the tendrils that had fallen out of my pony tail so he could see my temple. "See? No scar. On either side."

"That's... remarkable."

I shrugged. "Probably. Apparently my Cat-scan was normal, I don't even have any scarring on my brain or anything. I know if I get cut by something, the cut usually closes up right behind whatever cut me, so I figure the same thing happened with the bullet."

"That shouldn't even be humanly possible, you realize that?" He was flipping through my blood work now, his eyes narrowed.

"Believe me, I know. If you want to take blood, the needles, tourniquets, and tubes are over in the far cabinet."

He started, glancing up at me. "You don't mind?" His soft voice was a little guilty.

"Nah." I waved him off. "Feel free. If you think you can figure this out, you're welcome to try. I'm Estelle, by the way."

The man smiled at me, making the slight wrinkles around his eyes scrunch up adorably. "Bruce. Nice to meet you, Estelle."

* * *

**A/N: Happy Friday the 13th, guys! This is my gift to you, which I labored about 5 hours on. It was stuck in the graveyard that is my brain and would NOT vacate the premises.**

**Charlie Stark belongs to my good friend Andy (Mistressofdarkness666). She was kind enough to lend her to me so Estelle wouldn't be lonely anymore. Go check out her Avenger's fic, _"__Solus Genus Superat 3: What Is In A Name?"_ You won't be disappointed!**

**Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, there are more to come! **


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